Sourdough Shokupan

1 loaf

Experience

04/2024: tested it after a suggestion from Aryeh. It kicks ass

Ingredients

Levain

• 34 g strong flour (100%)
• 7 g sugar (20%)
• 34 g water (100%)
• 13 g sourdough (40%)

Tangzhong

• 31 g strong flour (10%)
• 122 g whole milk (40%)

Dough

• 241 g strong flour (90%)
• 79 g whole milk (26%)
• 1 egg (50 g) (16.5%)
• tangzhong
• 15 g sugar (7%)
• 34 g water (11%)
• 6 g salt (2%)
• 87 g starter (30%)
• 49 g butter (16%), soft

Recipe

1. Mix the levain (34 g flour, 7 g sugar, 34 g water, 13g sourdough), ferment overnight.
2. Make the tangzhong: (31 g flour, 122 g milk). Cook whisking until it’s a thick paste. Cool.
3. Mix dough: 241 g flour, 79 g milk, 1 egg, 15 g sugar, 6 g salt, 87 g levain, tangzhong. Low speed for 1 to 2 minutes until the ingredients come together and no dry bits remain.
4. Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes until the dough smooths and begins to cling slightly to the hook.
5. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
6. low speed mix for 2 to 4 minutes until the dough gains more strength and begins to cling once again to the dough hook. Add the room temperature butter while mixing, one pat at a time, waiting to add each pat until the previous one is fully absorbed.
7. Adding all the butter will take 5 to 8 minutes. In the end, the dough will still be very soft, and it won’t altogether remove from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a bulk fermentation container and cover.
8. Bulk ferment for 4 hours at 24C, with 2 sets of stretch and folds.
9. Divide the dough into three pieces, each weighing 200 grams (you will have a tiny bit of scrap leftover).
10. Then, shape each piece into a very taut round. As you shape each piece, place it into a greased cake pan, tucking it in tight so that each subsequent piece fits.
11. At warm room temperature, 74-76°F (23-24°C), this dough should take 3 ½ hours to fully proof. If your kitchen is cooler, expect it to take longer. 
12. This sourdough shokupan can be baked without the Pullman pan lid. With the lid on, no egg wash is necessary; just slide the lid into place and bake the loaf. The result will be bread with four completely straight sides. Alternatively, you can brush the top of the dough with an egg wash (which is a blended mixture of 1 whole egg and a splash of whole milk) just before baking, then leave the lid off. Wait until the oven is preheated to put the lid on or brush with egg wash.
13. Preheat the oven with a rack in the bottom-third to 350°F (175°C).
14. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Then, take the pan out of the oven and carefully remove the lid. The crust should be a light golden brown and the loaf should have an internal temperature of around 200°F (93°C). If the temperature is lower, slide the cover back on, return the pan to the oven, and bake for 5 minutes longer. Then, check the internal temperature again.
15. Remove the pan from the oven, uncover, and let the loaf rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool completely (I prefer to let it cool overnight).

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adapted from theperfectloaf